The solution to declining recruitment and retention isn't to continue lowering standards. That will only make more qualified people want to get out or not join in the first place.
Standards are mostly arbitrary. Even when not, they still need to adapt. Imagine what the aviation community would look like without vision waivers.
I think we've made some good changes that some might view as "lowering standards." HYT is out. Yes, there are "dead weight" sailors, but we were cutting perfectly fine sailors because they weren't "competitive," and those that were "competitive" were often not good at their real jobs as a result. And is there something fundamentally wrong with a good E-5 or E-6 that isn't ready for a leadership position?
ASVAB waivers are fine. We're all realizing the flaws with judging personnel based solely on standardized testing instead of any number of other factors. There are other things to worry about.
I hope CWAY goes too. Imagine telling a perfectly good boatswain's mate that they need restart their career and learn how to hack computers now, because they weren't good enough to make BMC. Makes no sense.
Fit and fill is another one to fix. Maybe stop telling SWOs they should be able to do any and all jobs and let them specialize a bit and feel like they know something beyond the first half-inch of depth.
Most JOs aren't putting in papers because of the latest transgender or abortion policy, or vaccines. Most roll their eyes and chalk it up to political grandstanding from both sides. A small minority makes headlines and become the focus. Everyone else just wants to do their job and mind their own business.
The frustrations came from doing a different job every 6 months and only ever learning enough about anything to understand some key vocabulary words, and having senior leadership insist that that will be all you ever need to know.
You get the feeling that, despite everyone treating you nice and special, despite all these flag officers at the academy telling you about how much of a difference you'll make to our Navy and our nation, you're just the assistant to the assistant to the regional manager.
Then you put on LT and think you can finally make that difference, just to realize you're now the assistant to the regional manager.